Rick's Girl

Another day, another celebrity. Of course just because you are famous over here, it doesn't mean the whole world knows who you are. When I heard I was to meet Rick Springfield my first thought was that he was one of Dusty's brothers!


Anyhow, I've posted my story below. Whether you know who he is or not, it's always a fascinating experience when the rock world rolls into town.

RICK SPRINGFIELD Adored By 600 Naperville Fans

by Glancer Magazine on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 11:14pm

by Hilary Decent, Features Editor – MORE THAN 600 ADORING WOMAN WISHED they could be Rick’s girl when Jessie’s Girl legend Rick Springfield hit Naperville on Wednesday evening. The rock star and General Hospital heart throb was at Anderson’s Bookstore promoting his new autobiography, Late, Late at Night.

The evening was packed with rock and roll clichés. The woman who had her left breast tattooed with Rick’s signature. The teenager who Springfield has virtually adopted since pulling him up on stage when he was three. A film crew making a documentary about the 30 year relationship the star has maintained with his loyal mostly female fan base.

If you were asked to draw a rock star, Rick Springfield would appear on your paper. Strikingly handsome at 61, a goatee beard and for my ears alone as our photo was taken, a whispered faux English accent that reminded me of Mick Jagger.

I didn’t have time to interview him, largely because all I could think about was how jealous my facebook friends would be when they saw the photo. It’ll be a great momento, although nothing as grand as the one 41-year-old Cyndi O’Hora, an uberfan from Frankfort, Il has.

“He autographed me when I met him in Milwaukee in 2006,” she said as if she’d been blessed by the Pope. “I had it tattooed.”

Cyndi has seen Springfield countless times, including that very morning when he appeared at Barnes and Noble in Chicago.

“This is my third copy of the book. I’m crazy, nuts,” she said. “He’s always so sexy.”

14-year-old Dustin Walker was called from the back of the line to say “hi” to his mentor.

“He pulled me up on stage when I was three and we’ve been good friends ever since,” he said. “Sometimes I play lead guitar with him. I’m good friends with drummer Jack White’s son Jackson. We’re like family.”

In the middle of the chaos was a team filming Affair of the Heart, a documentary commemorating the 30th anniversary of Springfield’s breakout album Working Class Dog. Director Sylvia Caminer said shooting began in May and will continue until the end of the year. “It’s about Rick, his career and artistry and his unique and passionate exchange with his fans,” she explained.

For executive producer Melanie Lentz-Janney, the project is definitely a labor of love.

Like the other women there, she’s been a long time fan, but unlike them has landed the dream job of following him around, really getting to know him.

“He’s never really gone away that much over the years, especially to his fans,” she said. “He has such a positive influence on their lives – a real human connection. This is more than a rockumentary. We want people to know he’s about more than just Jessie’s Girl.”

www.rickspringfielddoc.com.

Photo courtesy of Steve Vukosovic for Glancer Magazine.